Retracted Resolve
by Sombereyes
Summary: "Tell her, or you're both sleeping in the hall." It was that sage advice from Yang that had started his woes, but, then again, sage advice from Yang always did. Sequel to Compromised Composure. Male!Weiss, Male!Pyrrha, Fem!Jaune...mostly a fluff story, with Yang induced havoc in-between.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Made for Shiranai Atsune. For the rest of you, if you haven't read Compromised Composure, you might want to read that first. This is just a short introduction, the next chapter will be longer.

 **Warning:** The following story contains Male!Weiss, Male!Pyrrha, and Fem!Jaune. This is _not_ a fetish fiction, it is _not_ a futa-fiction. This is primarily a fluff, with some havoc on the side.

 **Retracted Resolve**

Bubbles foamed and frothed, a luxurious sea of white that felt heavenly to the skin. Hot water lapping away the pains of an otherwise terrible day. Weiss had just got himself spick and span after being covered in all sorts of dust residue. The unfortunate byproduct of hard training, and ludicrous notions of endurance matches. Weiss Schnee found himself befuddled beyond belief, and not because he couldn't endure long matches of skill.

It was simply that, he found the tactic degrading. Why drag out a match? Why not attain a swift and elegant victory?

These were questions that Glynda Goodwitch had brushed aside, shooing Weiss away to join the rest of team RWBY as they took on every opponent willing to stand up to them. He sunk further into the hot bath water, hissing as it drenched a sore spot in its warmth. Contemplating the harsh lessons of the day, he closed his eyes.

Nora, Weiss had belatedly discovered, was not someone he could counter defensively. Not that it rightly mattered, because Ruby had also seen fit to engage Nora in a skirmish. A tactic that was at best, ill advised. The sooner the young leader put her allergies first in combat, the sooner Weiss would be free of dust related mishaps.

The bath worked wonders though, Weiss could easily attest that. He really needed to start doing this 'being lazy' thing more often. If only for his sanity.

Scratch that, he needed to start obtaining more time alone each and every day. It was for his own good, he decided, as his scroll blared with an annoying little ring tone. Signaling that his time in the bathroom was almost up. In the next few moments, one of the girls would be pounding on the door, demanding to be let in. He couldn't do that of course, not naked and sudsy. He rinsed quickly, draining the water and wrapping a robe around his body.

He barely had his long luxurious hair in a towel before Yang very nearly broke down the door.

"Do you mind?" Weiss deadpanned, fully expecting his brawler of a roommate to make a ruckus.

"You've been in there for well over an hour." Yang protested, already on her way in, and pushing Weiss out. "Share the love…"

"Not to mention the aggravation." Weiss half complained as Yang slammed the door in his face. "Four people to one bathroom is just not feasible."

"Maybe not for you two." Blake said with a roll of her eyes. "You do realize the community showers really aren't all that far down the hall, right?"

"The keyword being shower." Weiss said as he grabbed his clothes and hid behind one of the desks to dress. It was the only way to do so without showing all of his glory to his roommate. "I was taking a bath for once. A nice long, hot, bath. Then Yang decided to make my relaxation into a catastrophe." He looked around, the resident cookie fiend was no place to be found. "Where's Ruby?"

"Being the only logical one." Blake said as she rolled over onto her side. "Why? Are you going to scribble romantic phrases in that personal notebook of yours?"

He rubbed his eyes. "I thought you promised not to bring that up…"

"I said I wouldn't mention it to Ruby and Yang. You were never part of that agreement." The cat Faunus grinned softly then. "So, are you going to tell Ruby soon?"

"Once I figure out how, then yes." Weiss nodded. "The problem is, I haven't the slightest idea of how to go about doing it."

"The easy way." Blake noted. "It would be best."

"I know that your suggestion of that luxury bakery is probably the best answer, but it just seems sooo…" He searched for the word, but lacked one dearly. "Inadequate, I suppose." He climbed into bed, pulled out his notebook and began to check his lists. He had so many ideas, but, ever the perfectionist, none of them seemed good enough.

"You could literally confess to her on the roof, with nothing to offer her besides your heart." Blake chided softly. "You need to understand, Ruby isn't as superficial as a few bags of premier cookies. Although, if you really wanted to, at least a half-dozen wouldn't hurt."

"Therein lies the problem…"

"How so?"

Weiss sighed, looking up at Ruby's empty bunk. "I know how I would want to be approached, if a suitor were to approach me. What's acceptable by blue-blooded individuals such as myself. The problem is, none of that lines up with Ruby's tastes. She's not from Atlas, and she probably doesn't care about fancy gifts and prolonged overtures."

"I'd say not…"

Weiss sent Blake a dry, withering look of disappointment. For a long time, nothing more was said. Yang hogged the bathroom, and Ruby still hadn't returned. "If those things don't truly matter to her, then what does?"

"You, stupid." Yang came out, towel drying her hair, trying to manage the unruly tangles of yellow. "Weiss, we've been over this almost a million times. If you like Ruby, just tell her. Don't get complicated, don't do the weird suitor-with-gift thing...just tell her that you like her. Let things go from there. You can worry about dates and stuff after she's said yes…"

"She _is_ going to say yes, right?"

"Oh for the love of – yes, Weiss!" Yang groused, very nearly pulling her hair with the wide toothed comb. "She's going to say yes because she would be an idiot not to. She's got the hots for you." Her comb snagged again, this time before snapping in half. The forth comb in a week. "You two are going to be the death of me, I swear…"

"Don't mind her, Ruby's been doing the same thing now for a really long time now. She's kind of been driving Yang nuts." Blake reported, still smiling in spite of her girlfriend's frustration.

"Which is why you need to man up." Yang told Weiss. "Just tell her like it is…do it before I actually do cram the both of you in a closet someplace."

"You'd really do that?" Blake asked.

"What's he gonna to do, Blake? Blush so hard he faints? It's not like he's going to perv on my baby sis. He can barely muster the guts to say he's got a thing for her." Yang rolled her eyes before sighing. She plucked a new comb from her stash in the drawer, and went back to preening in the mirror as her words of wisdom flowed over him. "Weiss, listen, I know you're worried about it, but you have nothing to be afraid of. You could go out there, right now, and confess to her right in the middle of that hallway…in fact, if it were me, that's exactly what I would do."

"Somehow, Yang, I doubt that."

"Oh…really?" A blonde eyebrow raised in suspicion as she grabbed a slender wrist and shoved Weiss out of the room. "Tell her, or you're both sleeping in the hall." The door closed, the lock clicked into place, and then some squealing from the other side indicated a large piece of furniture being moved.

Weiss jiggled the handle, but it was no use. His scroll was still inside and he was locked out. He'd have to wait for Ruby to unlock it, and even then, something was in the way of the door. With a longwinded sigh, Weiss Schnee closed his eyes, fighting a frown.

Three little words had bested him, they were just so hard to say.


	2. Chapter 2

**Retracted Resolve** **  
** **Chapter 2**

The whole conundrum started when Ruby Rose turned sixteen a few weeks ago. Although Ruby didn't act it, she was starting to look her age. Weiss had developed an aggravating case of dry mouth brought on by Ruby and her propensity to forget that little detail. She was a growing young lady, with assets that were only going to become more pronounced the older she got. It was true that she was not nearly as well-endowed as many, but that blasted corset she wore over everything didn't help the question of modesty in the slightest.

Weis could only imagine the sort of person Ruby would grow into. Given a few more years of wisdom, there would be very little to stop her headstrong attitude and willpower.

The evidence was clear as day. She came down the hall, shaking her hips in a manner that she had to have picked up from her older sister. Music blasting in her ears at unhealthy levels killed off any distraction that Ruby might encounter. She was dressed for bed in the new set pajamas that Yang had bought her, showing off just a little more belly than one might deem savory.

Still, there was no denying the way that black and red flannel bottoms swayed with Ruby's hips. They were slightly baggy, but that only made one's mind wander to places best left alone.

Even Weiss, who shared a room with her, had yet to see Ruby naked from the waist down. From the waist up, he had been lucky enough to have a somewhat modest partner, something he was grateful for. Ruby favored sports bras due to her future profession. Still, it was because she was so shy about her body that Weiss had never seen her naked. He wondered for how much longer that shyness might last. Yang had blinded him on more than one occasion with her nudity, she pranced around the room that way more than a little often.

Ruby's approach made him wonder. What went on beyond the curve of those slender but shapely hips? Would Ruby's confidence grow, as her body continued to do the same.

"Hey Weiss." The girl greeted, plucking off her earphones, looking at the door. "Did Yang change the locks again?"

"If only that were the case." He said, the edge in his voice crystal clear.

"They aren't um…in there…doing things…are they?" Ruby trailed, now looking at the entryway in trepidation. One accidental sighting was all she needed in one lifetime. "If you think they need some alone time, we could go hang out with JNPR."

"I assure you, that's not the problem." He said, picking himself off the floor to gaze at her. "Ruby, we need to talk." There was something attractive in Ruby's often messily kept hair. The way it framed her face, especially while she was in those in those pajamas. It didn't do Weiss any favors when it came to keeping a polite tongue in his head. "The only problem is, I haven't the slightest idea of how to say what needs to be said." He then looked back over to the door. "Furthermore, Yang will force the both of us to sleep out here tonight. If I don't say anything, we'll need to find another place to stay."

Ruby seemed to consider this with her usual flippancy. "Well, just blurt it out…it can't be so bad, right?"

"Well, that remains to be seen." He knew Ruby was fond of him, but, fondness alone couldn't carry the weight of their futures. Weiss wasn't asking for something simple like Yang might assume. He wasn't so sure he'd be able to live up to the staggering implications.

If this didn't work out, Ruby wasn't the only one who was going to be hurt. Weiss cared too much to come out of a bad breakup unscathed. All the more reason not to fail in his efforts. All the more reason not to do something he would hate himself for later. He took a breath. "I…that is to say…Ruby, we've been partners for a while now. We've become close. Closer perhaps, than one might consider appropriate for two people our age, training for the futures that we are…" He was already kicking himself.

That didn't sound anything like he imagined it would, and inwardly he cursed. Outwardly, he fumbled. "And it's just…I mean…" What was he doing? What in the bloody hell was wrong with his brain? He blinked. Oh, right. Ruby. The same problem he had been having for months, and here he was making a fool of himself. "If it's not an imposition, I'd like to continue being that close…" He swallowed hard. "And…closer…" Realized that he could be misconstrued, he blushed deeply. "But, perhaps not...unless you want that too, of course."

Ruby looked at Weiss owlishly, her beautiful face cocking to the side, delicate lips pursing in thought. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the slender, not to mention flustered, man in front of her. "I, um…" Now it was her turn to shy away from the inevitable. The air thick with the unmistakable torrent of mixed words and jumbled actions that had been carrying on for months. For all that she launched herself at Weiss on a good day, Ruby had never expected this sort of conversation. "I'd like that."

Weiss felt a weight lift off of his chest. "I would as well…"

It was the most that either of them could muster, relief and newfound anxiety bubbling from within. Saying they wanted closeness was easy, but acting on it? Weiss lifted his hand delicately, cupping the girl's cheek, wondering if it was rushed. He could see the anxiety in silver eyes, Ruby weighing the feelings going on at that exact moment. The strange level of intensity between them only managed to get worse, and Weiss wasn't sure if it was a good thing.

The air was uneasy, but, Ruby was tempting.

As if on instinct, Ruby tilted her head to the side, leaning into that soft palm of his. She hadn't the faintest idea of what she was doing, but, Weiss knew he was no more experienced. His sheltered nature demanding he merely needed to be a man of principle, not anything else. He was a Schnee, after all. He didn't need to please or appease anyone but himself.

That was what his father had taught him.

Surely, it was that backwards thinking that had landed the Schnee Dust Company in boiling hot water as of late. The critical eye of the press notwithstanding, the general public didn't align with his father's mindset, either. He did not want to be like his father…and so, reluctantly Weiss blushed while pulling away. As much as he wanted to kiss her, this was not the right place, nor the right time.

He cleared his throat delicately, dragging his eyes northward to meet Ruby's once again. "I…" His normally eloquent tongue failed him again, and he sighed at length, frustrated at his own hesitance. "If I were to…well…"

"Become close?" Ruby supplied, her own cheeks an unhealthy level of crimson as she fought down her own nervousness.

"Yes, yes, of course…that…" He licked his lips taking a small step forward closing the distance. "If I were to do so…would you by chance be favorable?" He looked around worriedly. His voice dropped to a bare murmur. "If not, I can understand. This is hardly the proper place."

"Oh, holy shit!" Yang yelled from under the door, her compact angled out of the crack in a manner that clearly indicated spying. "Someone just kiss someone else, good god…it's not that hard."

Unfortunately for everyone, Yang's interference had spooked both of the young lovers into inaction. Ruby darted one way, and Weiss darted the other. They hadn't been expecting an audience, most certainly not from Yang, and their shared mortification set the two backwards in more ways than one.

She sighed, unlocking the door. "Whoops…"

"I told you, leave them alone." Blake said from her place on her bed.

"Jumpy little thing, isn't he?" Yang considered, wondering if she should go pluck Ruby or Weiss from their thoughts.

"Weren't you jumpy before your first kiss?"

"Uh, no." Yang frowned. "Was I supposed to be?"

Blake rolled her eyes before she turned the page in her book. "All I'm saying is, it seems to me that Weiss gets nervous easily about things like this. Maybe pushing so hard isn't helping. Why not just give it a little more time. They've talked now, so if you back off, maybe things will sort themselves out."

"And if it doesn't?"

"We'll worry about it later." Blake said, putting her book off to the side. "Now close the door and come to bed. You've meddled enough for one night."

* * *

The blonde in question growled as after the third day, the blushing, stuttering, duo tiptoed around each other once more. It was her fault, she could own up to that. Ruby was a fragile person in many ways, and her playful nature guarded a world of tenderly kept wishes that not even Yang herself could truly begin to unravel. Ruby wasn't stupid, and she wasn't naive as to what couples did behind closed doors.

The younger girl didn't talk about it very much, but even she knew a thing or two about dirty magazines and particularly long showers.

Their father had been sure that Ruby had left for school well informed about ways to take the edge off. Something that Ruby refused to ever bring up, and Yang had no way of knowing just what Ruby's collection of such media consisted of. Then again, if there was one thing that the Xiao Long patriarch had learned from raising his daughters, it was that perverted teenage boys were not his primary concern. Yang, in her younger years, had seen to that misconception with flying colors. Such details were ones that he wouldn't soon forget.

"Mail call." Blake said, tossing Yang an expected package, one that was sent to her every single month, as if on cue.

She frowned, plucking the top letter off of the box, and chucking the unopened package in with the rest that were crammed into her bedside drawer. "I really need to tell him to stop sending these…" Yang muttered, looking Blake up and down. "It's not exactly like they do me any good..."

"Monthly condom box?"

"Yep."

"Yeah, I think it's about time you told him we're dating."

"I did." Yang said, scratching the back of her head uneasily. "I told him I was seeing a girl, and well…" Yang dug through the drawer and shook a box that was still closed in cellophane. "Least he's supportive…"

"Latex gloves…" Blake's ear twitched under her bow at that.

"And these too." Yang said pulling out a box of dental damns. "My bedside drawer looks like I'm getting freaky every night…don't know what the condoms are still about, considering…" Yang shrugged, not seeing the need for all of the protection. They both went to medical visits after every mission, they were clean as could possibly be. "Unless he thinks his innocent little girl isn't as vanilla as he wants to believe…" Yang grinned dirtily. "Ain't nothing getting through all this…that's for sure."

"He just wants you to be safe Yang…" Blake said, though she never did believe in barrier sex. As a Faunus, she didn't sleep with someone unless she was going to be in it for the long haul. Sorting through the mail, there were two letters for Ruby, and five for Weiss. She took the last one for herself. "Uh, Yang, what's with this?"

"With what?"

Blake turned the letter, the return address was Yang's residence in patch. "Your dad's writing me now, too?"

"Eh," Yang shrugged. "If you're dating me, you're part of the family. Don't think too much into it, Blake. Dad's just trying to get to know you. Sending letters is just one of the few ways he can." She sat down on Blake's bed. "Wanna read ours together? Might be fun…"

"Yeah, sure." Blake murmured, trying to get accustomed to the odd feeling welling up in her chest. Acceptance had never come so easy for her, and she was still trying to get used to it. "How about you read yours first?"

* * *

Weiss had been eavesdropping. Not because he was some sort of deranged ignoramus, but because he needed to make sure the coast was clear. Blake promised to keep Yang occupied, and it seemed that all was in order. That was a good thing, because he was still trying to settle his skittish nerves when it came to Ruby. He slipped along the corridors of the hallways with a distant edge in his gait, searching out the one place he knew that Ruby was waiting for him.

Blake spent a good deal of lien every month to renting out a small study room, and Ruby had the key. It was Blake's rather insistent suggestion that a planned study session might help work out the kinks that Yang had unintentionally caused. Weiss had hoped that might be the case as well, but as he closed the door shut behind him and locked it, he realized he was now completely alone with the woman of his affections.

"Are you ready to study?" He asked, books in hand.

Ruby nodded soundlessly.

"What would you like to go over?" He came around the table, sitting down gingerly as he brushed his long hair behind him.

Ruby's fingers tapped along the table, her nervous fidgeting reaching a whole new level when she jumped a little in fright. Blue eyes landed on her once again, and she averted her silver eyes from him. Weiss lifted an eyebrow, waiting rather impatiently, but Ruby didn't have her heart set on studying. She wanted to clear the air, and fix the distance that seemed so intent on separating them.

With a hard breath outward, Ruby pushed her books away. "I don't want to study Weiss. I want-" Well, she didn't know exactly what she wanted. All she knew was that this distance between them hurt.

It hurt a lot.

Weiss had heard the audible click of teeth when Ruby snapped her jaw shut. "Keep going…"

"I don't know." Ruby rested her head down onto the table. "I like you Weiss. I really like you, but…" This distance couldn't maintain, they'd lose everything. Ruby didn't want to say that. She couldn't bring herself to. "I want to be with you, without it suddenly being all…" Struggling she settled on the one word that came to mind. "Well, weird, I guess."

Tentatively, as if he might break her into a billion bits, he rested his hand flat against her back. Even this type of touch rattled him to the very core, because her shirt was warm to the touch. Soft under his fingertips, and just inches away, her messily kept hair covered the back of her neck. "Ruby…" His voice betrayed him as he gathered his courage to speak. "I know you think that I know what I'm doing. That I've had a lot of conquests, given my blue blooded upbringing, but, you see...it's...it's exactly the opposite."

"Really?" Her voice was equally shaken, fearful, shy, and wishing she wasn't.

Weiss nodded. "The circumstances are new to me too."

"Then…why can't it be like it's always been…but, like…more?" Ruby asked, the undercurrent of her voice proving that she thought she was the cause of the whole mess.

"How do you mean?"

"Like…" But, how could she explain that? Frankly, she couldn't, because their friendship was a special one. So instead, she nervously reached forward, clutching at the shirt that covered his long, slender arms. She made her way into his lap, the way she used to do before. She cuddled into him, trying to see what he might do, and when a small, insecure sound worked its way up from the back of her throat, Weiss returned the embrace.

Hugging her felt so good, and frankly, he was exhausted from three sleepless nights in a row. Tossing and turning in his bed. Afraid to hurt her, afraid to make a horrible mistake. It all melted away with her in his arms. He closed his eyes, feeling the tension sag out of him, taking comfort that Ruby was doing the same. He would take it slow, he promised himself as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Take it slow, and make his every action count.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It was a very strange thing, being the lone male in a room comprised of women. Some might have considered him rather lucky. In fact, he'd heard more than a few murmurs about all of the eye candy he received. If only they knew the truth. Weiss was too nervous to go stealing glances, even if he did have the rudimentary anatomy class just like everyone else.

"Aw, come on, Schnee. You need to admit it, She's got a rack on her doesn't she? You can tell me, buddy."

Weiss rolled his icy blue eyes. "I wouldn't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

"Cardin, unlike you, I'm not a total and complete pervert." Weiss replied, slamming his locker closed and tying his bathrobe more firmly in place. "Even if I do bunk with a predominately female team, it isn't as if I try to look at them at every turn."

"Yeah, but Xiao Long gets around, or so I've heard. Total wh-"

"Then you've heard wrong." Weiss interrupted, slamming Cardin's own locker in a fit of indignation. "Yang Xiao Long is a great many things, but that rather _rude_ invective doesn't happen to be one of them."

"Not what I hear." Cardin chuckled then, pulling out his phone. "Word on the street is, she's got a little pet on the side too."

Weiss avoided the lockers for a reason. Cardin, and several others happened to be it. "I dare you to speak like that again…"

"What are you going to do, pip-squeak?"

Weiss sighed, a glyph manifesting below Cardin's feet, sending the young man face first into the wooden bench. Had it not been for his aura, he easily would have broken his nose.

"I'm going to kick your ass, Schnee!"

"I'd love to see you attempt to do so."

Pyrrha Nikos stepped between the conflict brewing, hair soaking wet, and towel around his waist. "Weiss, enough…Cardin, stop being antagonistic. This is a locker room, not an arena."

"I don't think so." Weiss murmured, standing to his full height, which, admittedly wasn't very tall. "No one begins to get belligerent with me and stands to get away with it."

"Bet the only reason you're so protective of them is cause you're getting some ass…then again, with an ox like Xiao Long, bet you're the one getting pegged."

"Cardin! Last warning from one classmate to another." Pyrrha barked. "Further provocation of Weiss, will result in provocation from me. If this continues, I will alert Goodwitch that I've challenged you to an arena match, is that clear?"

"Yeah, yeah, fine." Cardin said, rolling his eyes. "Chill, Nikos. It's Schnee who can't take a joke."

"It's you who fails to make one." Weiss shouted at him.

They watched him depart, at which point Weiss visibly deflated. He wasn't going to let Cardin belittle his team, but he wasn't really in the mood for a brawl either. The relief was only momentary as Pyrrha walked around to his own locker, dressing in his pajamas. "So, have things with Ruby cooled down?"

Weiss leaned heavily on the wall nearby, hands buried in the long baggy robe. Instead of trying to answer, he just let the question soak in, asking one of his own. "How does a resident pretty boy like you, end up with a tomboy like Jaune? She's not exactly what one might call suitable."

Pyrrha just laughed. "How does the heir to a multibillion lien company like you, become attracted to a shy, awkward, younger girl like Ruby Rose?"

"Lunacy…" Weiss replied dryly.

Pyrrha shook his head, dressed for bed after a grueling training session. "Weiss, I didn't fall in love with Jaune because of some twisted, backhanded reason. It just happened, and that's all I ever need to worry about. She's…" Pyrrha trailed off then, shrugging. "She lights up my day in ways I never thought possible. We make each other happy, and that's all that matters to me."

When the last cluster of students exited the locker room, Weiss ventured a rather personal question. "Do you and Jaune share a bed? Is that normal, for a couple, such as yourselves?"

"We do." Pyrrha replied simply. "Do you wish to do the same with Ruby?"

"That's one problem of many. On my part, at least. We have been." Weiss explained, finding himself confused. "Ruby derives some form of comfort out of it, or I wouldn't let her…but…" He sighed in a manner that made him sound several years older, and more exasperated than he really was. "I want her there, but at the same time, I don't think she knows what she does to me."

"Then perhaps a few remedial lessons are in order…"

"Pyrrha!" Weiss spluttered. "She's barely sixteen…"

Pyrrha only offered one of his most comforting smiles. "Weiss, the only way she'll know what she 'does to you', as you put it, is if you tell her. Surely there are boundaries, but those are best decided by the both of you, together. It's not an easy thing to have those types of discussions, but I promise you, it'll be better if you do."

Rationally, Weiss knew Pyrrha was right. Communication was the key factor in any relationship, but he didn't want to speak of the darker places his mind trailed off to. That place was laden with lewd thoughts and profane images. Ones best kept to the dark recesses of his mind, entertained only when he was alone, and there was no chance of getting caught.

This did mean leaving Ruby only to guess at what drove him insane on any given day, but it was a sacrifice he willingly made for the sake of propriety.

* * *

No plan survives contact with the enemy. Especially when that enemy was the gentle and unassuming Ruby Rose. That night, Ruby slipped into his bed again, causing him to gulp back another curse as she snuggled into his side.

On his best effort, he laid there stock still, only reacting when he felt Ruby's worry sinking into him. Even so, it was only to wrap an arm around her as he slammed his eyes closed. For whatever reason, Ruby had a fancy for slinging one of her legs across him. She narrowly avoided the apex of his legs, and subsequently, the sensitive flesh that rested there.

Another frustrated sigh fell from his lips when she finally fell asleep, and he was stuck in that damnable compromising position.

He dozed in and out, but sleep wasn't restful. Most certainly not the next day when snickering from across the room alerted him to the fact that Yang was more than a little amused. "Yang, please do shut up."

"Ohh, aren't we touchy today…"

"You haven't the slightest clue." Weiss rasped out.

"Uh..." This got Yang's attention. "Are you okay?"

"Yang, put her back in her own bed…please…just…" His eyes rolled back in his head when he felt her nails dig into his sides. Ruby fidgeted in her sleep, and that leg...That gloriously sinful pleasure...if only Ruby knew what she was doing. "Yang...help..."

Blake slapped a palm over Yang's mouth before the blonde could say something they would all regret. "Don't you dare. That's your little sister over there, show some restraint." Blonde eyebrows wiggled, but Blake wasn't playing. "Speaking of putting people into their own bed, if you say anything like I think you're going to, you'll be regulated back to the top bunk for the rest of the week."

This sobered Yang instantly, and she nodded in agreement as Blake released her. "I can move her if you really want me to…but, uh, I'm not going to see something I don't want to see, am I?" Yang asked as she peeled herself away from her own comfortable spot.

"Yang, please...now is not the time."

Truth be told, Ruby clung in her sleep, and she was also a deep sleeper. Yang wrangled her younger sister back into the top bunk of her bed with no small amount of effort. Reluctantly, she looked back at Weiss who'd all but cocooned himself around his blankets. Yang didn't have to take many guesses as to why. "Hey…Weiss…"

"What?" He all but growled, as he buried his face into his pillow.

"If you got a case of morning wood, just bust one out in the bathroom really quick." Yang shrugged.

He lifted his face to give her something of a murderous look. "Do you have to be so foul?" Though, and this he could admit, there might be something to be said about drowning himself in the bathtub. Pulling some bath salts from the bedside drawer, he sent one more fleeting glance to Ruby's sleeping form before locking himself away from the world yet again.

"This…" He murmured to himself. "Cannot continue..."

He no sooner drew water for his bath and dissolved the salts that he heard manic giggling coming from the bedroom. He didn't wish to know what, or rather who, caused the commotion. He only wished that it would stop. He sunk into the bath, eyeing the door with renewed trepidation. As if the giggling could somehow correlate to the door blasting off its hinge at any moment.

It wouldn't be the first time his teammates had inexplicably done the impossible, he doubted it would be the last. He lifted his hands to the drapery anyway, pulling the fabric around the ring of the tub to give himself some privacy. At least if one of the girls barged in, he'd have some modesty left.

He spent a long time thinking in that solitude, the water cooling to lukewarm before he even extracted himself. Dressing in his robe, he exited the bathroom refreshed, but no less exhausted. Ruby was the only one in the room, and she was bent over one of her books, trying to study and not fall asleep. A failing endeavor.

"Blake and Yang went to breakfast already, didn't they?"

"Hmm?" Ruby looked up closing her book. "I think so. Nora drank all the syrup again, so I think they went out to eat in Vale."

"And you didn't go with them?"

"I didn't feel like it."

Assuring himself that his Robe wouldn't just fall open at random, he took a seat on his bed, meeting Ruby face to face. "Ruby, are you okay?"

"I guess." She said hopefully, knowing it sounded fake, and her smile fell. "I've just got a lot on my mind…and…Yang was teasing me earlier…"

"Yang always teases you…she teases everyone."

"Yeah but…not about some stuff." Ruby tinged pink, as she curled up in the chair, resting her chin on her knees. "She's never teased me about some things."

"She's probably never had the opportunity to before." Weiss sighed, running his fingers through his long hair to spite himself. As much as he hated Ruby's nervous habits, he had plenty of his own, and he noticed every single one. Schooling his hands and his brain to behave themselves, he sighed. He stood, grabbing a pair of underwear from his respective drawer.

After being adequately covered, he joined Ruby at the desk, leaning over her chair, palm resting flat on the wood. "Your thesis on dust theory is wrong. The type of dust produced depends on the minerals. Also on the seismic energy surrounding them. Not all mines produce all types of crystals."

"But the book says that dust is mostly comprised of impurities."

"It is." Weiss said knowingly. "Firm, uncut crystals will always be more pure when you grind them down. Manufactured dust will always carry mineral impurities, soot, rock, and other things that cheapen the value. That's why dust shops offer crystal grinding in the store."

"But even impure dust doesn't hurt most types of weapons."

"That's false."

"Is it? I've never heard of dust jamming in a properly maintained weapon before. Not ever."

"You assume that it is properly maintained." Weiss went on to say. "There are times that weapons are taken to their limit. In such an event, you'll find that pure crystalline dust, carefully refined by hand, will be more apt to flow freely from the weapon in question."

Ruby looked up into blue eyes. "Weiss, what are we doing?"

He sighed, leaning down as he pressed his lips to her own. She tasted of mint and the hints of hot chocolate, Ruby's morning drink of choice. The kiss was sweet, lingering before Weiss pulled away. The simple press of lips sending both of their cheeks aflame. "Avoiding the problem…pointedly." He said, averting his gaze, embarrassedly. "Maybe we shouldn't be."

"Weiss, why did I wake up in my own bed?"

"I asked Yang to put you there."

"Yeah, but why?"

"Because I can't be trusted, Ruby." Weiss sighed, finally coming to terms with the fact that he actually found Ruby quite attractive. Voicing that to her as mildly as he could. "It feels so good to have you by my side at night, but…maybe it feels too good to me…I shouldn't be feeling the way that I do…but the fact is, I _do_ feel that way."

"And you don't think I feel the same way?"

"I know it's not the same. It can't be the same…there's just no way." Weiss sighed, willing himself to just stay calm. Not to shut Ruby out. It was getting harder and harder to do.

"How do you know that?"

"Because when I get that way…" Weiss shook his head. "Ruby, just trust me, on this. I need you to understand, in some ways I'm not infallible. Even I have my limits."

"Weiss, can you just kiss me? Like a real kiss?"

"What?" Weiss shook his head. "Ruby, no, I can't."

"Can't or won't?" The younger of the two of them asked worriedly. "We never used to have this kind of space between us before where you just…" Ruby shrugged. "Pushed me away like this. I don't want to be pushed away anymore. I told you that."

"You don't know what you're asking…"

"Then _show_ me Weiss." Ruby begged. " _Let_ me understand."

He surged forward, claiming her lips again. It was anything but innocent as his fingers tangled themselves in her short messy tresses. Dragging down her back. Teeth and tongue playing at Ruby's lower lip, demanding entrance as his hands fell to her hips. Lifting her off the chair, and into his lap, holding her close. It was everything he wanted, everything he had been holding back as she finally melted into his touch.

It was hurried, and uneasy, the two of them breaking away with a gasp. Weiss growled low in his throat, taking her for another kiss before she could even recover. This one less hurried, but no less intense, and his hands fell lower still, onto her thighs, and then, holding her steady, he began to grind into her pajama clad core. She broke away with a harsh gasp.

Ruby felt his arousal through the several layers of fabric. Hers and his both.

"Do you understand now?" Weiss hedged, breath ragged as he hissed through his teeth.

Ruby nodded, blushing deeply. She didn't dare move as she curled into Weiss, eyes closed as she clung to him. She knew about how guys worked, but that was all her father's watered down words. Dirty pictures from the internet or her special stash of books hadn't prepared her for this. She'd never felt one get hard before, even over fabric.

"I-it wasn't like I didn't know before." Ruby said, her voice muffle by the cloth of her boyfriend's robe. "I just…you never…"

"This isn't something I like talking about." Weiss admitted. "I'd rather we didn't…"

"Mm." Was Ruby's quiet agreeance, but she didn't move.

"Are you going to get off of me?" Weiss asked, half wanting her to get away from him, half wanting her to stay in his arms.

"Do I have to?"

"Ruby…" Weiss pled. "This is so…"

"I don't care…" Ruby told him, finding barely enough courage to meet blue eyes with her own silver. "This is supposed to happen…right? I mean, it's normal…so it's a…" She looked away. "A good thing, right?"

Weiss swallowed hard. "Normal, yes. I think that 'good' is a relative term in this situation." He managed to say, willing his body to obey him. He tried not to focus on the fact there was a girl still straddling him in all the right ways. He grasped onto academics, his only solid foundation during times like these. "On a purely perfunctory level, I can tell you, this is the..erm...most natural reaction to the current stimuli."

"You're not going to do anything weird, are you?" She asked.

Weiss gave her something of an incredulous look. "No, Ruby…never, I would never take advantage of you like that."

"Then can you just kiss me again, like before?" Ruby asked him. "Can we keep doing that? Please, because I really, really like it."

Weiss nodded slowly, half in disbelief, as he kissed her deeply yet again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The nature of romance didn't come easy for Weiss, though he tried his best to make everything as perfect as he could.

Finding the time for dating was far more difficult than it appeared. The school year was getting hectic. As a team, they didn't have much time for leisurely activities. Days of training and study grew longer, and the testing given to them by their teachers grew tougher. Even just trying to finagle a few hours for personal time was getting to be strenuous.

Even so, Weiss was a brilliant mind when left to his own puzzles for long enough.

Planned outings were difficult, so he had to get creative. At first, he'd managed to skirt by with picnic lunches and afternoon visits to the ice cream parlor. Even though Ruby seemed to like the routine, he didn't think it was enough. So, Friday became a double date night. Complete with a dinner out in Vale, and some sort of event afterward. It ticked the boxes, but Weiss wasn't content with that either.

For him, it wasn't enough. He knew he didn't need to buy his way into Ruby's heart, but, he wanted her to know that he cared.

Blake had warned him not to overdo it, so Weiss had started with a reasonably priced bouquet of flowers. The week after that, he went on a rampage ordering various kinds of sweet confections that he thought Ruby might enjoy. A few weeks after that, he managed to get his hand on a new book Ruby had been wanting. A rather thick tome regarding mechanical engineering.

How the girl could spend hours researching something so complicated, Weiss would never fathom. It made her happy though, and that was all that mattered. He found however, that his creativity had reasonable limits. He was starting to reach them. Like always, he enlisted the advice of Pyrrha Nikos.

"So, you need something 'coupley', well, let me see." Pyrrha said carefully, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "You could always just order takeout. Have it delivered to the dorm, and watch a few movies on your scroll together."

"I wouldn't call that a special thing to do, though." Weiss retorted.

"You've never done that since you've started dating, have you?" Pyrrha grinned, his green eyes glinting with mischief.

"No, but that's because I normally take her to the theater." Weiss said, somehow deciding he maybe shouldn't have been as proud of that as he first assumed. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No…no, nothing of that sort." Pyrrha's cat-ate-the-canary smile grew wider. "You just don't seem to know what you're missing. Find a cheesy rom-com to watch, order a pizza, and get into your pajamas. Trust me, you can't go wrong. We're always so hard at work with training, we forget to relax sometimes. At least, that's how it is for Jaune and I. It truly is nice to just cuddle under the covers."

Weiss cleared his throat. "Yes…well, I've been trying to avoid that, for obvious reasons."

"It's unavoidable Weiss, you've been with her for a little over a month now. I think you shouldn't have to worry about being so gentlemanly." Pyrrha said pointedly. "Besides, from what you've said, she doesn't seem to mind."

"Well I do mind." Weiss protested.

"You're attracted to her. There is nothing wrong with that." As he said this, he offered Weiss a sideways glance. "Though…and I do hope I'm not being presumptuous…have you ever considered that such feelings may be mutual?"

"Mut…mutual?" He coughed on the word. "Surely you must be joking." Weiss was so glad no one else was able to see his cheeks turn a stunning shade of scarlet. "I'd _really_ rather it not imagine that, actually. To think that Ruby could consider the same sort of things that I inevitably do…"

"Is it so hard to believe?" Pyrrha asked.

"It's impossible." Weiss shook his head, trying to clear the images from his mind. "Furthermore, I'd rather that Ruby not conclude that I'm a total swine, either."

"Weiss, you're one of the most dignified people in our group of friends…have you ever heard Yang and Nora compare notes?"

"I was hoping that those two were an isolated case." Weiss admitted with a sigh.

"Women have equally dirty minds, and in some cases, I'd argue that they're worse. I've heard the sort of gossip that goes on." Pyrrha softened his smile then. Eased it into something more understanding. "You know, you're not going to sully Ruby if you let your mind wander. I'm sure she does the same about you."

"I doubt that, but either way, whenever I let Ruby get that close to me…I can't trust myself. I've come to learn that. I don't know if it's because that's just her way, or if she thinks she needs to act in that sort of way, but Ruby's…well…clingy." Realizing the nature of how that sounded, he backpedaled. "Not that that's a bad thing, mind you. It's merely that it's a strange occurrence that leaves me rather sleepless…and stressed."

"Well, you know Weiss…and mind you, I wouldn't presume the worst…but assuming that I might, for once, say something rather tactless…" Pyrrha trailed off, handing his cardkey to Weiss. "Our room does happen to have a spare bed. Jaune sleeps with me, in mine. If you find yourself in need of a little space, you're welcome to use it."

"You know…" Weiss said to himself thoughtfully. "I just might take you up on that."

* * *

Yang was only marginally dumbfounded. "So…you're switching rooms?"

"Only during the night, when it's time for bed. I'll cuddle with Ruby until she falls asleep so that she knows I'm not trying to upset her. Then, I'll go over to JNPR's room and spend the rest of the night there." Weiss explained, having packed a small toiletries bag to keep in the room across the hall. "It'll be better this way. We do almost everything together, and while I think that's great, I need my space too." Then, a little more quietly. "And so does she, this'll be the best of both worlds."

"Ruby's not gonna like you leaving her here like that." Yang said uneasily. "I mean, do what you need to do and all, but I think this'll fail pretty hard."

"Yang, I don't want to hurt her. I don't want to give her the wrong impression and lastly…" At this, he sighed, slumping down on his bed. "I want her to realize, I'm invested in this. In her, for the long haul…my birthday's coming up. I'll be eighteen years old, a grown man..."

"You goin' someplace with that?"

"We might be going to the same school, but there are rules in blue-blooded society about courtships."

"Rules?" Yang crinkled her nose. "What kind of rules are we talking about here?"

"You mean besides the questionability of an adult man lying in bed with a female minor?" Weiss rolled his eyes. "We're not even betrothed. It's improper to share a room with one's chosen lady."

"Oh, come on. It's not like you're a complete asshat…and besides, I'm in the room at night. As her big sister, I've got some credibility, don't I?" Yang said seriously. "Like I said before, what are you going to do, blush yourself to death?"

"Your word doesn't mean as much as you might think." Weiss explained. "Ruby should at least be given a ring and she should formally welcomed into my family…and even then, to share a bed raises many eyebrows. I'm a Schnee, I know I could flagrantly disregard the rules to some degree. If I did though, what does that do for Ruby's image?"

"Ookkaaayyy...so you've put some thought into this." Yang said slowly."Maybe, a little too much thought, actually. I get that you're trying to protect her, but you don't need to worry so much. Ruby's a big girl, she can take it...and I'll take care of the aftermath. Any punk who messes with my sister, messes with me."

"I'm under a lot of public scrutiny, and by extension, Ruby will be too." Weiss merely crossed his arms as he leaned back into the bed. "Furthermore, if a man can't be considerate to the women in his life, then what good is he?" The corner of a cardboard box was stabbing him in his back. He reached around, grabbing the cellophane wrapped box of prophylactics. " _What in the bloody hell_?!"

"Condoms." Yang said lamely. "Twenty pack, three assorted sizes."

"I see that." Weiss paled. "What are they doing under my pillow?"

"I needed to stick the box someplace that you'd find them, but so that they weren't just sitting out." Yang said with an offhanded shrug. "If ya need more, feel free to rummage through the drawer. Everything's new as of this year, so none of its expired yet. Just take what you need, I don't care."

"You don't seriously think I need these, do you?" Weiss replied, wondering just what sort of strange fantasies Yang had concocted in her head.

"Well, not yet anyway…" Yang grinned as she grabbed a large shoebox from the place on her bed. "Come here a sec...wanna show you something I came across..."

Weiss sighed, doing as he was told as he began his wisely thought out defense. "I don't want to say I'm a prude, but I certainly would give it at least a year before I even considered…" Buried under a blanket of dried rose petals, a stack of rather perverted media rested inside the box. "Umm…are those…what I think they are?"

"Ruby's stash of porn mags." Yang said. "Ruby's not exactly as innocent as you want to think. She's just shy and a little nervous, but she'll grow out of that eventually. Porn's way different from the real deal, and she knows all of this is just fantasy." Yang said gingerly closing the box back up. Ruby had quite the collection really.

"That's entirely too much erotica for one person to have." Weiss blushed, wishing he hadn't seen inside.

"Yeah, well about that...listen, she's my baby sister. It's my job to look out for her. I'm going to keep pretending that she's my sweet, innocent, little sibling. But I know that's just me ignoring the truth." In fact, it was a little disappointing to accept that, and Yang was feeling a little down. "Ruby's getting older, and even though I kind of hope you keep your promise about waiting at least a little while…it's not as easy as you think…"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…" Yang grit her teeth. What _did_ she mean? "One make out session gets carried away, and then next thing you know...sometimes it just happens." Yang sighed, it was hard admitting it, but there it was. That's how she'd lost her virginity after all. "Not that I want you all over Ruby. I don't. I really, _really_ don't. It's just, I'm obviously not going to be there when that happens. So, just keep them, and if it gets to that point...use them."

Weiss let out another long, slow, exasperated breath. " _That_ …that insinuation right there, is exactly why I can't be in this room. If you're thinking that way, how will others think?"

* * *

The first night he enacted his plan, Ruby was restless, tossing and turning against him unable to fell asleep. Knowing that when she finally did, Weiss would tuck her in and slip across the hall. Ruby fought her sleepiness tooth and nail. In response to this, Weiss insisted her to be still. Truthfully, he was loathe to leave her side, but what else was he to do?

"Ruby…" He sighed.

"What?"

"If you don't go to bed, you're going to be exhausted for class tomorrow…"

"No…you're just trying to give me a false sense of security…I know you'll sneak away."

He rolled his eyes at her petulance. "It's not exactly sneaking if you know I'm going to do it…"

"I'll stay up all night if I have to, and the night after that…I'll drink coffee."

"Ruby, that's just foolish, and besides, you hate coffee…"

"I'll do it if it means you'll stay…"

"What am I ever going to do with you?" He asked softly after hearing the apprehension in her voice. "We're not in a position in our lives where we should be sleeping together every night like this. You're young, our relationship is young, and in a few months I'm going to be a legalized adult." He guided her head to his chest. Hoping that maybe hearing his heart beating would lull her. Soothingly he ran his fingers through her hair, laying a kiss atop her brow. "This is for the best…trust me…"

He would wean her off of this by his eighteenth birthday, he promised himself he would.

He was going to become a man of immense power one day. He would be able to topple the mining industry and bring it under his command. From dust, to coal, and precious metals, all of it would be in his palm. He would be given the cold, ironfisted power of his father. Hundreds, if not thousands of lives would depend on him daily to keep business flowing smoothly. From warming homes, to powering machines, and arming weapons. Dust had many applications and uses, and Weiss was going to be given the reigns of such a precarious industry.

If he couldn't do this properly, what hope did he have of holding onto Ruby in the future?

Absolutely none.

He was sure that his father would always allow him a concubine or two without a word edgewise. That was just the kind of man his father was…but Weiss wasn't like his father. He just wanted Ruby…and he wanted her to be accepted into the household with due and proper respect when the time came…but she was too young to bombard her with such expectations. It was too soon to start to prepare her mind for the possibility of marriage.

The best thing he could offer was his loyalty, and his restraint. When she fell asleep, he slipped out of bed, and across the hall.

Team JNPR were still up and about, a team of night owls, all of them. Ren was busy with his nose in a book as Nora played with some game or anther on her scroll. Pyrrha was lazing about in relaxation, enjoying the fact that his lover was gently working his hair into one thick braid before bed. Icy eyes didn't miss the soft and sweet kiss shared between the two of them. Or the fact that Nora had made an offhanded remark to Ren about it.

"I'm surprised everyone's still awake…" Weiss noticed a he set his small bag by the empty bedside table.

"Ren's studying, and those two are too busy sucking face to go to bed." Nora observed with her usual audacity. "I'm just not sleepy."

"Are you going to let her get away with that?" Ren asked offhandedly.

"She's not wrong you know, she's got us red handed." Pyrrha only laughed softly as he dragged Jaune into his lap. The girl with the bad habit of covering her form with loose fitting, unflattering jeans, was now in full display. She wore one of Pyrrha's shirts. Her long legs exposed, even as she tucked them into herself. "There's nothing to be worried about, Jaune, it's just Weiss."

And therein was her problem as she dragged the blankets over her legs and buried herself into Pyrrha's embrace. "Please don't look…" She asked to Weiss.

"Her pajamas don't fit anymore." Nora supplied, ever so helpful, and Jaune sighed. "I told her she could wear some of mine, she said they didn't cover enough…so then Pyrrha offered up one of his shirts. Now Jaune gets all worried the moment someone looks at her legs…even though they're great, and go one for miles…right Ren?"

"Nora…" Ren admonished offhandedly. He didn't need to look up to see the blush on Jaune's cheeks, or teasing grin on Nora's. "I'm sorry, Weiss, it's hard to keep her in check in the dorm room."

"It's alright…I've merely replaced Yang's bluster for Nora's." And yet, even as he voiced this, settling into bed, he couldn't help but wonder which one was actually worse.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I was busy over the holiday weekend so not much writing got done, hence the lateness.

 **Chapter 5**

It was a wonderful day to stay in and forsake the world. Classes had been cancelled, and the weather went ballistic. Gale force winds knocked down power supplies left and right. Weiss counted himself lucky. He was one of the few in Vale who happened to be living in a building with not one, but two dust powered generators. They kept the lights dim, but life went on as normal…more or less. He greeted the sight of his new dorm mates with a laugh when he realized that JNPR was not so far removed from his own team.

If anything, he was an onlooker to an adorable scene that was not unlike one he might find Blake and Yang in.

Pyrrha was resting on his bed, book in hand as he thumbed through one of his workbooks. Perhaps the media of his viewing happened to be different than Blake's, but that's where the differences ended. Jaune's sleepy hold and refusal to retract herself from Pyrrha's form only lay proof to that. Pyrrha smiled as one muscular arm wrapped around the blonde with the pixy cut, ruffling the short tendrils of hair. Contently, he continued to read from the thick tome.

Green eyes flicked up from the page, when Weiss extracted himself from the bed he'd borrowed. "You're up early."

"Early yes, but refreshed." Weiss replied, and it was mostly true. It was amazing what a handful of hours with uninterrupted sleep could do. "They're not morning people either, I'd fathom."

"For Ren, it's just a matter of priorities. Nora can be, if she's hungry." Pyrrha murmured, his soft words making Jaune fidget around, and bury herself deeper under the covers. "Jaune however…" A half sleepy whine complimented the statement when the blonde hair disappeared completely under the blankets, hiding from the world. "See what I mean?"

"Perfectly…" Weiss replied. "Which reminds me that I need to go wake Ruby."

Weiss exited the room and made it across the hall, but Ruby was already awake and waiting for him, one of his pillows clutched to her chest. They had another hour at least before anyone had to be functional. With a tiny little sigh he closed the door and moved over to his old bed, pulling Ruby close to him as he took in the sight of dark, sleepy circles.

Her sleep had been quite unrestful, or so it seemed as she wordlessly launched herself atop him. It was as if she were some sort of abandoned puppy. Mentally he chided her childishness, but inwardly he kicked himself, knowing he was the cause of her fitful rest. He could only hope the next hour would provide some sort of restful compensation.

At breakfast time, they split the tasks. Yang and Ren went to go get the food. Weiss, Pyrrha and Blake gathered the drinks. Ruby and Jaune headed for the dessert line, and Nora saved the seats. It was so routine now that no one even second guessed the arrangement. The two teams as thick as thieves during meal times. There were murmurs about that, questions cropping up about just how close teams RWBY and JNPR were with each other. The peculation had caused betting pools across the board…

And some of the bets, as Pyrrha had come to discover, were actually quite lewd indeed.

Ruby and Jaune made it back to the table first with several plates of cookies and doughnuts. Weiss, Pyrrha, and Blake soon followed, settling in. The cat Faunus sat in the furthest seat, deciding she felt less than sociable as she hunkered in to begin reading once more. There was a no reading at breakfast policy that had been put into place when Weiss, Blake, Ren and Pyrrha found themselves cramming for tests just a little too often for anyone's liking. There was an interesting little loophole, and that was simply that no one had instilled a rule about reading before breakfast.

Needless to say, Blake's eyes had affixed herself to the next chapter like glue.

Yang and Ren battled their way through the warzone at the meal counter. Weiss considered that with a smirk. Everyone hated the meal line, everyone. Hungry young hunters tended to be aggressive in assuring their meal got taken care of. When someone made the mistake of pulling Yang's hair on accident, the whole line scattered.

"Uh, should we go help with that?" Jaune asked, seeing the fighting erupt.

"No." Pyrrha kept half an eye on the brawl, as Ren attempted peaceful conflict resolution. When that didn't work, he took to flinging an irate huntress with a spear halfway across the eatery. "No," Pyrrha repeated. "I don't think that will be a good idea." When Ren resorted to mealtime ruckus, any attempt to quell the fighting was a lost cause. "Best we allow Yang to demonstrate why aggravating her is a decidedly bad idea."

"I'd be inclined to agree." Weiss watched the action with a sigh, bringing his hot beverage to his lips, sipping carefully.

"Hey, Weiss, can I try that?"

"Suit yourself." He handed over the mug, laughing when Ruby made a sour face, gently pulling his cup of coffee from her hands. "There, you see?" Weiss chastised as he gave his girlfriend the mug filled with hot chocolate. "You hate coffee."

"Well maybe if you put sugar in it, I would like it then…oh, and maybe more milk." Ruby considered then, her mind concocting ways around the bitter taste.

"Cinnamon tends to help." Pyrrha supplied helpfully. "Though that really only helps during brewing, not after."

"Trust me, that won't be enough." Weiss laughed, watching a Jaune, indulge the morning conversation with curiosity.

She reached over to taste Pyrrha's own coffee, and her distaste was duly noted. "Ew." She grimaced, giving her red haired lover a very perplexed look. "How can you drink that?"

"If you think mine's strong, don't attempt to taste his." Pyrrha said, gesturing to Weiss. "He drinks even stronger coffee than I do."

"That's not possible." Jaune laughed, but the shiver Pyrrha offered in reply spoke otherwise. "Is it really that strong?"

"By far strong enough." Pyrrha said, recalling the one time he had put Weiss in charge of the coffee detail.

"Well I think I can learn to like coffee." Ruby disputed, arms crossed.

"Ruby, it would have to be two parts milk to one part coffee. I don't even know how sweet I'd have to make it before you even found it palatable." Not that Weiss wouldn't try if Ruby actually wanted to find coffee that she liked. The fact was simply that she preferred hot cholate in the morning with her breakfast. "You're better off staying with what you know you like. Besides, I'm living proof that caffeine does stunt your growth."

"In the quantities that you drink it, probably so." Pyrrha agreed.

"There's got to be some way for me to like it." Ruby pressed. "What if I put chocolate in it, or something…maybe whipped cream?"

"Why are you so obsessed about drinking coffee anyway, Ruby?" Jaune asked curiously. After she had tasted Pyrrha's there was no way he was going to attempt to do so again.

"Weiss won't come back to the room if I don't drink it." Ruby protested.

"I never agreed to come back to the room either way." Weiss replied earnestly, sliding Ruby his bowl of strawberries as some form of consolation. "It's only for when we're supposed to be sleeping. It isn't as if I've moved out entirely."

"…I like cuddling…" Ruby admitted softly.

"And I won't leave until after you've fallen asleep…" Weiss promised. This was really part of why he needed the space in the first place. "There will still be time for that."

"See, Pyrrha, you created a monster." Nora interjected with a wagging finger. "Now Ruby's all lonely."

"Now, now, Nora. You're blowing the matter out of proportion. Weiss is merely following his customs, it's just the way Atlas is." Pyrrha said with a shrug. "Weiss hails from a very conservative family, and I find it refreshing that he's not trying to use his family name to be a lecherous pig."

"You can say it." Weiss sighed. "My father is one such letch."

"I wasn't trying to insinuate…"

"You don't have to." Weiss interrupted. "It's a fact, not an insinuation."

"Chow time, guys!" Yang cheered, carrying four plates of food while Ren followed behind with the other four. "Hot and ready." The plates were stacked high. French toast and ham, with a side of hash browns. "Sorry it took so long, some jackass thought he'd get one up on me."

"As is usually the case when war breaks out by the meal window." Weiss went about folding his napkin neatly in his lap before he reached for an empty container. "Where is the syrup?"

"In her greedy gut…" Yang said with a sigh as she pointed over to Nora. "So much for French toast." Even as Yang said this, she had no qualms about reaching over to dunk her own toast into Nora's overflowing plate. Ren was inclined to do the same.

"Hardly, we'll just have to improvise." Weiss stood up to gather a few packets of powder sugar, and one bottle of honey. Returning to the table, he took to seasoning the savory dishes with the white, sweet confection. "There now, dip it into the honey, and I'll promise you you'll enjoy it."

"Weiss, you mad genius!" Yang praised, followed by the sounds of her happy chewing.

"When it comes to knowing my way around the kitchen, I'm afraid not. This is merely how we eat it back home." He said glancing over to Ruby. She hadn't touched her meal yet. Instead she was looking down into her mug with a frown. "Oh, alright, alright…" He sighed, offering her back his mug. "We can share mine, although why you want to torture yourself is beyond me."


End file.
